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In recent years, schools, companies, and government agencies have become increasingly alarmed about cyber-bullying, online privacy violations, and internet crimes (Duggan, 2017). School authorities and parents report young people engaging in harassment of classmates via emails, social networking sites, and internet forums (Hoffman, 2010; Sengupta, 2013). Companies and agencies have seen an increase in malicious online security breaches and criminal violations (Deutsch & Ax, 2014; Heilman, 2011; Marks, 2018; Nakashima, 2010). According to a 2009 CDC study, rates of cyber-bullying appear to be increasing annually (e.g., from 2000 to 2005, the rate increased 50%; David-Ferdon & Hertz, 2009). Over 40 U.S. states have enacted legislation outlawing cyber harassment (NCSL, 2013).
Little prior research has studied the specific attitude or personality factors that underlie a variety of online aggression. The research that has been done has focused primarily on situational or demographic variables related to online harassment and bullying (e.g., Williams, & Guerra, 2007; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a). This study had two goals: (1) to ascertain the relationship between personality traits, social attitudes, and aggressive online interactions, and (2) to develop scales that could serve as valid predictors of a person’s likelihood to engage in aggressive online activities.
Varieties of Online Aggression
This research uses the more general term “online aggression” to denote a variety of aggressive acts conveyed via electronic means, typically the internet (Olweus & Limber, 2018). Prior research, using the terms online harassment, cyberbullying, electronic bullying, and internet aggression, have found that such aggression commonly takes the form of insulting, demeaning, and humiliating messages and/or spreading malicious gossip over a variety of media, including email (e.g., Jones et al., 2013; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Lenhart, 2007; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a), text messaging (Jones et al., 2013; Menesini, Nocentini, & Calussi, 2011; Raskaskaus & Stoltz 2007) defaming websites (Raskaskasus & Stoltz, 2007), instant messaging (Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Lenhart, 2007), and especially social networking, such as Facebook (David-Ferdon & Hertz, 2009; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004a). Other methods include posting embarrassing pictures and videos of the victim (Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Menesini et al., 2011; Raskasus & Stoltz, 2007; Sugarman & Willoughby, 2013). Although less common, online physical threats, sexual harassment, and sexual predatory behaviors have also been reported (Maas et al., 2003; Jones et al., 2013; Palfrey, Sacco, Boyd, & DeBonis, 2009; Raskasus & Stoltz, 2007; Wolak et al., 2008).